Emily came to us last year for her work experience – she’s a very good photographer – and this year she wanted to capture some pictures of her group of mates before they go off to various sixth forms (why, by the way, do we now have years 1-13 at school but somehow have retained ’sixth form’ as a title. Most odd.)

Anyway, this session was a real laugh – the guys were very funny! And the photos tell quite a story I think!

All photographed within about 400 yards of our studio, Haddenham is a fantastic backdrop for us (which is lucky I guess) and it’s helped create some really lovely images, though one day, they may have to explain the Land Rover, the bull, the sofa and the umbrellas. All good fun!

Let us know what you think!

Take care
Cheers
P.

Welcome to Chandima & Mark’s wedding ceremony at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons!

I’ll be honest here (aren’t I always?), I have never photographed an Anglo-Sri Lankan wedding before and consequently wasn’t as sure as I normally am about what was coming up next (or what it would look like through the viewfinder!) And the images I did have in my head didn’t even come close to predicting the beauty, energy, joy and emotion of this particular day!

I figured that Chandima and Mark’s families would be lovely – they are, after all, responsible for Chandima and Mark (you couldn’t wish for nicer clients) – and I figured that it would be a very vibrant and colourful affair (I, too, have access to Google so it didn’t take much to find some suitably enlightening pictures online) but I had no idea just how beautiful!

From the initial moments of Chandima getting ready to the Kandyan dancers to the ceremonial lighting of the lamp to the emotional speeches to the gentle but uplifting Budhist ceremony in Oxford… The list goes on.

And on top of that Kate, our new assistant, is proving to be every bit as skilled with the camera as we predicted and has captured some absolutely stunning images from alternative viewpoints!

Simply perfect.

Can’t wait to show everyone the full set of images but until then, here are a few.

Enjoy!

Take care
Cheers
P.

The sun shone (possibly a little too much given we’re running around with cameras and bags!), the crowd were funny and both Victoria and Samuele looked like they were having a truly wonderful time.

This was also a wedding with lots of stories to tell – the usher who had cut his head while shaving it, the beautiful flower girl who didn’t want to be photographed (but then had an epiphany and became the most photogenic flower girl in the history of, well, flower girls!); the somewhat enthusiastic guest who provided enough dance-floor energy to power a small town the size of Barnley; the sudden (and alarming) appearance of a notably loud megaphone in the hands of the best man (I kid you not) and the registrar that seemed to rather enjoy making photographers’ lives as tricky as possible (as far as I am aware, taking pictures of the congregation at a wedding – whether or not the bride and groom are sitting at the register – is a fairly well accepted part of the day. Clearly this was not something that coincided with Northamponshire’s view of the world. Still, we got our shots, quietly and politely as always!) Oh, and a very lively nan who gave me a proper run for my money – in the nicest possible way!

Such a lovely day. Such lovely couple. Such a fantastic crowd. So many photos!

Take care
Cheers
P.

Good job, then, that they’re one of our nicest couples – particularly as we went to the Haddenham festival to capture some images of the lads ‘warming up’. One glorious hot, sunny summer’s day and we’re photographing other people enjoying some rather fine beer and cider. It’s a good thing that I love this job!

And in spite of the date, I would still always rather be photographing a wedding like this one. It was beautiful in every measure – from the weather to the setting, from the bride to the bridesmaids, every single aspect was perfect!

And who can say better than that?

Enjoy!

Take care
Cheers
P.

It has been a real privilege to be a judge for the Rotary Club competition – and a real challenge. The standard of the photography (and the volume of entries!) has been completely overwhelming and, if I’m honest, it was one of the toughest jobs I’ve done to help judge them.

So a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who took the time to enter or support the competition. Every single image submitted had real merit to it and each photographer should be hugely proud of the photographs they’ve created. For the winners a big ‘congratulations’ and to those who, this time at least, did not walk away with a prize – please try again next year as, on a different day, with different judges, you might just have made it.

Whatever happens, if this standard of photography in the UK can be continued, the state of the industry going forward will always be of the highest calibre!

And that can ONLY be a good thing!

Let us know what you think
Cheers
P.

PS. The copyright on each of these images remains with each contestant – thank you for letting us show them!

We first met Tortie and her amazing furniture over at Bucks University when we photographed their Furniture: Design & Craft graduate work. Well, Tortie’s designs have gone on to win her the title of BDC New Designer of the Year 2010 – one of the most prized awards there is for a new designer!

So, firstly, congratulations to Tortie – who is a) really lovely, b) incomprehensibly talented and c) very photogenic. A good mix in my opinion.

We took some more pictures for her press and PR releases – only this time we stepped outside to capture the images (well, her work is very organic and so it seemed appropriate somehow!)

I loved it. Beautiful furniture and an unusual location. Oh, and good company too – Dr. Lynn Jones from Bucks University, a long-time friend of ours and one of Tortie’s course leaders, also came over and it turned into quite an impromptu social event. Which is, I think, how photography should be!

Cheers
P.

PS. If anyone would like to talk to Tortie about her furniture, her email is tortshoare@gmail.com

Anyway, this was the Henry Floyd school leavers prom at Woburn Abbey which is one of those iconic venues that cannot be surpassed on a gorgeous summer’s evening like this one.

We’ve been photographing the guys at the Henry Floyd for a few years now so it was really nice to catch up with familiar faces and wish them well as they head off to the strange and scary world of student life. When I say strange and scary life I do, of course, mean the four best years imaginable!

So, a night of revelry and photography! Another set of images that we are very proud of – not staid or too formal, just a lot of fun. And, thanks to the unusual occurrence of the late evening sunshine we’ve been having, a lot of pictures could be captured out on location which is ALWAYS my favourite way of working!

So to everyone who we photographed for the last time at HFGS, we wish you the very best of luck in your future careers – it’s been an absolute pleasure to have pointed a camera at you! And should, by chance, you ever need a portrait or wedding photographer…

Take care
Cheers
P.

This time it was musicians and performers in the gorilla enclosure. A heady mix! The gorilla’s didn’t seem particularly phased by it any way while some of the most talented performers in the world peered through the glass at them!

This ball was one of those that you just knew would be funny and the alcohol was flowing at quite a pace – something you might be able to spot from one or two of the pictures! I’ve always loved working with performing arts as there is a real vibrancy and energy about the characters involved. In this instance the talent ranged from musical theatre to violin, French horns and jazz guitar – all of it at the highest standard.

I really loved the entertainment laid on by the musical theatre group in between the meal courses – usually there isn’t much to photograph while people are sat at tables but this was completely different! The lighting in the room wasn’t great but with a little help from a remote-control flash gun I think we still managed to get a real sense of theatre in the images. Brilliant!

I really hope the images reflect just what a nice crowd this was and just how much fun I had photographing it!

And I’m really sorry to anyone who thinks they look a little drunk in them…

Let us know what you think.

Take care
Cheers
P.

I know our blog has been a little slow recently but that’s just ’cause we wrote our summer newsletter and we’ve been a little sidetracked with being out working with clients!

So, I have a bit of a backlog of interesting sessions to talk about but I’m going to bump one or two up the queue as they’re very much ‘of the moment’ – The Henry Floyd Grammar School Year 11 Prom and the Royal Academy of Music End of Year Ball (see later blog).

Now, I have to be honest, we don’t really specialise in events as such but it’s always a real pleasure when it’s for clients like these.

We’ve been photographing the Henry Floyd Prom for a few years now and I love it. It’s energetic (i.e. tiring!) and a load of fun – and we always end up with some fantastic images! We had a queue from the minute the doors opened until the end – when we grabbed a few of photographs of the D.J outfit (a crew called Diamond Cut if anyone’s interested – they were brilliant!)

So, to everyone who attended the prom last week a huge ‘thank you’ for being so hugely entertaining and for helping create another brilliant year of photographs. And to anyone who’s thinking of having an event but doesn’t think we’d do it? You can always ask – we might just say yes!

This wedding was exactly that. I’d been excited about it ever since meeting the Barabara and Ben all those months ago. The way they described the day and what they wanted, it was utterly apparent that this would be a truly beautiful affair. And so it proved to be.

Barbara is a yachtswoman – and a phenomenally good one at that – and so are her two bridesmaids. Ben is a cyclist and guide. So we knew the weather would never be a problem! Just as well as when we arrived it was throwing it down in that way that only coastal rain can be. But no-one really seemed too worried about it which is perfect for us!

The stunning dress? Barbara’s mum. The most gorgeous flowers? Barbara’s bridesmaid’s mum. The gleaming red MGA? Ben’s dad. The location? Barbara’s sailing club. The catering, the cake, the bar? Their mates. I tell you, with a bunch of talented friends and family like this they could do weddings for a living! Everything about it was what you’d wish a wedding to be!

And we had a ball! The photos are funny, joyous, romantic and just a little emotional. And they tell the story of a wonderful day with a ridiculously chilled crowd as seen through the eyes of a very very happy photographer (and I must have appeared that way as Barbara sent us a picture of me laughing as I worked!)

And all that in spite of the rain (and yes, the horizontal stripes in the photo of the lads is exactly that – horizontal rain! Nice!)

Enjoy!

Cheers
P.